Yourself Or Someone Like You
by purplepagoda
Summary: What if Mulder was right all along? What if a single choice could completely alter the course of their lives. What if a single choice was made differently? What happens when Scully wakes up in a world that she doesn't recognize.
1. On A Night Like This

_June 5th, 1998_

 _He smiles at her, as she reaches for her coat. She furrows her brow, catching him looking at her. He chews on a toothpick, and she wonders what he's thinking. She clears her throat bringing him back to reality. As he meets her glance he thinks to himself, I hope she doesn't realize I was checking her out._

 _"Mulder?" She shoots him a questioning look._

 _"Scully when was the last time that you went out?"_

 _Her look of annoyance quickly shifts into a look of confusion. She shrugs, "I don't know, why?"_

 _"I am going to take you out."_

 _She purses his lips, and tries to figure out his angle. She wonders if he is trying to butter her up for something. She eyes him suspiciously, "For what purpose, Mulder?"_

 _"To have fun. Scully certainly that is something that you have heard about before. At the very least you have read about it, right?" He responds mockingly._

 _"I am familiar with the concept of fun," she returns, flatly._

 _"Let's go have drinks," he suggests._

 _"On a Monday night?"_

 _"I'll buy," he answers her._

 _"I just want to go home, and take a bath," she argues._

 _"Give me an hour, and if you're not home, I'll take you home, and draw you a bath."_

 _"As fun as that sounds I think that I am going to have to pass."_

 _"Please."_

 _"What is in it for me?"_

 _"I'll tell you what, if you go out with me tonight, I will give you a get out of jail free card."_

 _"Get out of jail free card?"_

 _"The next time there is a remote location, with a case that you deem ridiculous you pull out your get out of jail free card, and you can stay home, and take all the baths that you want. It can be used once whenever you deem fit."_

 _"Done," she smiles in agreement._

 _Soon she finds herself sitting at the bar next to her partner. They are both two drinks in. When he looks over at her he finds her unbuttoning her shirt._

 _"Scully what are you doing?"_

 _"It's hot in here," she answers as she pops open the top two buttons of her shirt._

 _"Scully I can see right down your shirt."_

 _She smiles flirtatiously, "Then don't look."_

 _The bartender presents them with another alcoholic beverage. She shoots Mulder a questioning look._

 _"When did you order this?"_

 _"When you were in the bathroom, drink up."_

 _"Mulder, I feel like you had ulterior motives with this endeavor."_

 _"What do you mean, Scully?"_

 _"How do I know that you didn't bring me here just to get me liquored up, and take…"_

 _He cuts her off, "There is only one way to find out."_

 _A song begins playing overhead. She throws back her drink, and grabs his hand._

 _"Come on," she demands._

 _"Where are we going?"_

 _"You wanted me to have fun, so we're going to dance."_

 _"I think you should start drinking at work," he tells her._

 _She rolls her eyes, as she proceeds to drag him onto the dance floor. The song ends, and a slow jam replaces it. She turns to leave the dance floor. He grabs her hand, and smiles widely._

 _"Not so fast, missy."_

 _He pulls her close, and dances despite her multiple attempts to convince him otherwise. When the song ends she finds herself dangerously close to her partner. He realizes that he may have crossed a line, and he begins to step back, but she steps forward, closing the gap between them. She takes the first move, and allows her lips to press against his. He allows her lips to press against his. When she pulls away he expects her to run off the dance floor. Instead she whispers in his ear._

 _"Let's get out of here."_

 _He doesn't argue with her. He pays the tab, and they exit the bar. He hails a cab, and she instructs the driver to take them to her apartment. As she fumbles at her door with her keys she feels her heart flutter. She doesn't hear a little voice telling her this isn't a good idea. All she hears is the alcohol talking. Finally she gets the door open, and he follows her into her apartment. He is hesitant, expecting that she will change her mind, or fall asleep before anything can actually happen. He wonders if she knows he's been thinking about this scenario since the first time that she walked into his office. He closes the door, and finds that she has already kicked her shoes off. He turns, and finds her standing very close. He makes eye contact, and then his glance shifts to her shirt. He realizes that another button has been opened since their car ride._

 _He grins, "I can see your bra."_

 _She reaches for the button of her shirt, "Then maybe I should just take it off, if you're that worried about it."_

 _He doesn't know how to respond. She finishes unbuttoning her shirt, and then he feels her fingers underneath his collar. His blood pressure rises as she tugs at his tie. Clothes begin falling to the floor as quickly as if there were a decontamination shower required. He wonders if she is going to mention a bath, but she never does. In fact she doesn't say another word, she allows her non-verbal cues to lead the rest of the night. Eventually they pass out on her living room floor._


	2. Somewhere Only We Know

Present Day

She opens her eyes, and studies her surroundings. She finds herself in a king sized bed, in a room she doesn't remember. Before she can give too much thought to the décor of the room she is directed to the force that has awakened her. She feels someone patting her face. She looks to her right, and finds a toddler with red curls staring up at her. The little girl wears a pink nightgown, and smiles widely.

"Mommy, can I have cake for breakfast? Please?"

She hears footsteps, and a familiar figure appears in the doorway. She finds Mulder standing in front of her wearing a t-shirt, and a pair of pajama bottoms. He rushes over to the bed, and scoops the toddler off the bed.

"Cami, I told you not to wake mommy up. She was sleeping."

Scully looks up at the two of them in sheer and utter confusion. She feels woozy, wondering what is going on. The last thing she remembers is contemplating the end of the world, standing on a bridge with a bright light shining in her face.

"But," the toddler argues, "you said I couldn't have cake for breakfast."

"That doesn't mean that you should come up here, and wake your mom up on her day off," he explains as he wrestles the wriggling toddler.

Scully sits up in the bed, and makes eye contact with Mulder, "I don't know what's going on here," she admits.

His hair is uncombed, and goes in six different directions, much like the toddler's who has settled on his hip, "Let me set the scene for you," he begins, "It is Saturday morning, and our three year old daughter, Camille, affectionately known as Cami," he is cut off.

"And sometimes cinnamon," Cami interjects once again.

Mulder shakes his head, "And cinnamon, to some, has determined that it is okay not to listen when her father tells her eight times not to wake her mother in, as she is off, and she should be permitted to sleep in."

"Only because you wouldn't let me have cake," Cami defends herself.

"When I turned around to go find car keys for our son, your daughter became very impatient, and raced up the stairs to come ask you for cake, hoping that you had lost your mind, and that you would agree."

Scully finally comments, "Mulder, that doesn't provide me with enough context."

As he holds their daughter she notices the wedding band on his left hand. He picks up on her facial expression. She looks as if she is trapped in wonderland. He turns towards his daughter, and plants a sloppy kiss on her cheek.

"Cami, go downstairs, and have your sister help you locate some cereal. I need to talk to your mom," he instructs as he sets her on the ground.

She salutes him, "Aye, aye, captain," she races out of the room.

"You know she is going to go eat cake," Scully points out.

"I do. What's wrong?" He questions approaching the bed.

She scoots over, and he takes a seat next to her, "Mulder, I don't know what's going on. How did we get here? Where did this kid come from?"

He furrows his brow, "Are you serious?"

The blank look on her face, and the lack of a response tells him that she is. He points to her midsection, "She came from in there."

Scully shakes her head, "I don't remember that. Where are we? What year is it?"

"Scully what is going on? It is two thousand and sixteen. We are here, in our house."

"Mulder, I can't tell you what town, or city we are in. I have never been in this house before in my life."

"The doctor warned that this may happen."

"What may happen?"

"You had a fender bender last night, and you got a pretty serious concussion."

"A concussion, or a traumatic brain injury? This seems like an alternate reality."

"What do you remember?"

"The Spartan virus," she answers.

"The what?" His eyes widen, "Scully is that supposed to mean something to me?"

"Obviously it doesn't ring any bells."

"What about William?"

"Will is at basketball practice."

"I… none of this makes any sense."

"Scully what are you talking about?"

"Yesterday I was standing on a bridge…" she trails off realizing that he has no clue what she's talking about.

"What is the last thing that you remember?"

She shrugs, "What I remember doesn't seem to match up to what is going on right now."

"Do you know how long we've been married?"

"We're not," she answers.

"Maybe I should take you back to the beginning," she suggests.

"Okay."

"I met you over two decades ago when you were assigned to the x-files."

"I remember that."

"We were partners for nearly five years before anything happened between us."

"That isn't how I remember it."

"I asked you to go to a bar, and have a few drinks with me, and the rest is history."

"I remember you asking, and me declining."

"We went out," he argues.

"What happened?"

"We drank too much, and I took you home."

"And then what?"

* * *

 _June 6_ _th_ _, 1998_

 _She wakes up with a splitting headache. She opens her eyes, and finds herself staring at the ceiling in her bedroom, with absolutely no memory of how she got in bed. She rolls over, and much to her chagrin, she finds her partner lying next to her. She closes her eyes hoping all of this is simply a dream._

" _Scully?" A familiar voice calls her name. She opens her eyes, and finds that he hasn't disappeared. She glances at the clock, and realizes that she has to get ready for work. She slips out of bed without another word._

* * *

 _July 27_ _th_ _, 1998_

 _He enters the office, and finds that she has already arrived. She sits in his chair, waiting on him. The look on her face tells him that she is serious. He takes a seat in the plastic chair, and waits for her to begin._

" _Mulder we need to talk."_

 _He smiles, "I agree. I think that it is about time that we talked about what happened the other night. Scully I feel as if there is something there that we should explore."_

" _Mulder I don't really think now is the time to talk about that."_

" _Why not? Is Skinner standing in the doorway, or something?"_

" _No."_

" _It's just the two of us, isn't it?"_

" _Yes."_

" _Then why are you worried about talking about that?"_

" _I am not sure that I am ready to talk about that. I think that we may have made a great error in judgement. It is not a good idea for partners to…"_

 _He finishes the sentence, "Engage in extracurricular activities together."_

" _Right."_

" _Why do you feel that way?"_

" _Because of the potential consequences, Mulder."_

" _You think that it is going to affect our work? Scully, I assure you that I will not let it interfere with our work."_

" _Mulder I am not certain that I can make that promise."_

" _I think that it will be fine as long as we institute some ground rules."_

" _It's too late for that."_


	3. Attention To Detail

_July 27_ _th_ _, 1998_

 _He suddenly wonders where she is going with this conversation. He glances at the manila folder that he has placed on the desk, and he decides to shift the focus of the conversation._

" _Scully I have a case I think that you will be quite interested in," he begins._

" _I need you to focus," she retorts._

" _It seems to me that this is not a conversation that you are interested in having. It seems as if we are at an impasse, so I thought that I should move on."_

" _You aren't listening."_

 _He takes a deep breath, and shifts all of his attention to her. She studies her facial expression. He allows her face to talk to him. It tells him that something has her seriously irritated, most likely him. He looks her in the eyes, and he sees a flicker of something._

" _Scully, what's wrong?"_

" _Have you heard anything that I've said?"_

" _Something about consequences, and so on and so forth."_

" _Yes," she nods._

" _Maybe we shouldn't discuss this at work. We could go out for dinner, or drinks," he suggests._

 _She shakes her head, "I won't be going out for drinks anytime soon."_

" _With me, you mean?"_

" _In general," she corrects him._

" _Scully you don't have to be so prudent all of the time," he insists._

" _Trust me, it is best."_

" _Are you saying that because you feel like what happened was a mistake?"_

" _That isn't what I am saying."_

" _Scully, if you want to pretend as if nothing ever happened, and go back to the way things were before we can. I don't want to lose you as my partner. I know you are concerned with personal feelings getting in the way of professional efforts."_

" _I can't pretend that nothing happened," she replies._

" _Do you think there is something between us that should be explored further?"_

 _She nods, "There is certainly something between us that requires further exploration."_

" _So you felt it to?"_

" _Mulder, what I feel is nauseated."_

" _There is antacid in the top drawer," he offers._

 _She shakes her head, "No thank you."_

" _You mean regarding what happened?" He tries to read into what she is saying._

" _No, because of what happened."_

" _Isn't that the same thing?"_

" _You're listening skills are not on point today," she prods._

" _I don't know what you're telling me, because you're being cryptic."_

" _Mulder, cryptic is your specialty."_

" _Okay. What I hear you saying is that you can't pretend that nothing happened between us," he recounts, "and that you feel nauseated because of it."_

" _Exactly," she nods in confirmation._

" _Why do you feel that way?" He finally manages to ask an intelligent question._

" _What do you think?"_

" _And you mentioned consequences," he recalls._

" _Yes, I did," she nods in confirmation._

" _Scully you can't be saying what I think that you're saying, because you told me that it wasn't possible."_

" _It certainly is not supposed to be."_

" _But?"_

" _It has been confirmed."_

" _That it isn't possible?"_

" _That it is possible, and is currently ongoing," she admits._

" _So what you're saying is…"_

 _She cuts him off, as she has tired of their game of cat and mouse, "Mulder, what I am saying, is that I'm pregnant."_

* * *

Present Day

Her eyes widen as she stares at her partner, and supposedly her husband. She shakes her head.

"No. That didn't happen," she argues.

He grabs a picture frame off the bedside stand, and offers it to her. She slips the gold colored frame from his hands. She stares at his facial expression as she holds the picture frame. She expects a smile to appear, and for him to tell her that he is pulling a fast one on her. His finger taps on the glass of the picture frame. She casts her eyes downward, and finds a pair of toddlers staring up at her. One boy, and one girl look up at her from the frame.

"Of course," he reaches for another frame, this one much smaller, "They look like this now."

She trades him frames. Her eyes once again fall on a pair of children, one boy, and one girl. The two teenagers sit on the sandy beach digging a massive hole.

"I don't remember," she strains to recall any of these details.

"You don't remember our children?"

"No."

"Ethan, and Maggie?"

Her heart sinks when she hears the name Maggie. She thinks of her mother, who she's laid to rest, and the betrayal she felt upon losing her.

"I miss her," Scully admits

"Who?"

"My mother," she reveals.

"Then call her. She can be here in five minutes. She just lives at the other end of the block."

"She died."

"Dana, what alternate universe have you been living in?"

She shrugs, feeling completely defeated. She expects to wake up at any moment.

"Fox, I'm sorry, but I don't remember any of this."

"You don't remember any of our life together? Having the twins, or getting married? Birthdays, births, milestones?"

"Something is very wrong here," she insists, "This is not my life."

"This is your life," he reassures her.

"But this is not how I remember it. What about the x-files?"

He furrows his brow, "Dana we left the basement a long time ago. You work at the hospital, and I run the behavioral science division."

The sound of footsteps interrupt their conversation. A teenaged girl appears in the doorway.

"Dad, what time are the boys going to be done with practice?"

"Nine thirty, why?"

"When they get back can I have the car?"

"Where are you planning on going?"

"I want to go to get a manicure with Sarah."

"I think that should be fine as long as you're not gone all day."

"Oh, and also I had to put the cake away. I went downstairs, and Cami annihilated a chunk of cake, and she had a trail of crumbs all the way across the kitchen."

"I'll clean it up when I'm done talking to your mom."

Maggie looks at Dana, "Mom are you okay? You don't look too hot."

"I don't know."

"If you need anything I'll be downstairs," Maggie tells them as she scurries out of the room.

Mulder turns towards his wife, but she stares at the doorway.

"Dana?"

"She's beautiful," she comments.

"Of course she is, she is ours. She is our first born."

"But I don't remember any of it."

"I think that ER doctor was wrong, maybe you do have a traumatic brain injury."

"When did I leave the FBI?"

"Before the twins were born. You had to go on bed rest when you were about seven months along. You took six months off, and stayed home with them."

"When did we get married?"


	4. Once Upon A Time

He stares at his wife, with a look of disbelief on his face. He shakes his head, and touches her hand. She looks at her left ring finger, and finds a white band of skin where her ring has been. She breaks eye contact, and looks to her left, finding her rings lying on the bedside table.

His voice breaks the silence, "You don't remember?"

As she shifts her eyes, and her gaze falls upon her face she wears a guilty look. She feels a pang of devastation. "No," she responds on the verge of tears.

He exhales, and presses his lips to her forehead, "That's okay," he answers, patiently.

When he sits back she notices the grey around his temples. As she focuses on his face, she realizes that he looks different. Her feelings don't change.

"I'm sorry."

He vacates his seat on the bed. He heads over to the dresser, and removes their wedding album from the top drawer. He returns to the bed, and hands the photo album to her. He situates himself next to her, on top of the covers. He hears footsteps, and a toddler appears in the doorway. He grins at her, as she races towards them. She stops at the edge of the bed. Dana places the photo album between herself, and Mulder in the bed. She looks down at the carrot top with wild curls. The tot has chocolate crumbs all over her face. Despite her confusion, and disorientation, she can't help but smile. The three year old reaches for her. Her heart melts as she lifts the toddler into the bed with them. She looks over, and finds Mulder holding the book of pictures, as he sits close to her. The little girl settles onto her lap.

"How was your cake?" Scully questions.

"What cake?" She responds.

Mulder tries to stifle his laugh, as not to encourage the little girl. Cami stares up at Dana with a mischievous look in her eyes, one that Scully recognizes as something she has seen before, from Mulder. Her lips can't help but curl into a smile. She kisses the toddler's cheek, and then proceeds to wipe the crumbs off the little girl's mouth.

"Daddy what are you guys doing in here?" Cami quizzes.

"Remember how mommy hurt her car the other day?" He asks.

"Yes, I was there," she retorts.

"When she hurt her car she bumped her head, and her memory is a little bit fuzzy this morning. I thought we could help her by looking at some pictures."

"I love pictures," Cami admits.

He opens the front cover, and Scully stares at a picture of them from the late nineties. They look younger, and more naïve.

* * *

 _July 31_ _st_ _, 1998—_

 _He is sitting behind his desk, chewing on a sunflower seed when she appears in the doorway. He glances up at her five foot three frame, and instantly notices the unsettled look on her face. She is pale, and looks terrible. He feels a sudden pang of guilt, realizing that he is at least partially responsible for her current state of being. She moves towards him purposefully._

" _I have the trash can," he announces as he holds it up._

 _She drops her belongings on the seat in front of his desk, and takes the trashcan from his hand. He pushes his chair away from the desk, and rises to his feet as she lurches forward emptying the bile from her stomach. When she is finished he remains silent. He opens a drawer, and pulls out a toothbrush, and toothpaste. He hands it to her. She takes the unopened toothbrush, and exits the room. Several moments later she returns, and finds that he has pulled the bag in the trashcan, and that the room does not smell of vomit. He offers her his seat, but she declines. She removes her belongings, and takes a seat across the desk from him._

" _I assume we have a case," she opens, in a flat tone._

" _Not yet," he admits, "Are you okay?"_

" _Not particularly," she responds truthfully._

" _Is something wrong?"_

 _She gives him a sideways glance. He nods, acknowledging the situation at hand. She reaches into her bag, and pulls out a piece of paper. She hands the paper to him. He locks eyes with her, and waits for an explanation._

" _I had an appointment this morning," she explains, "It's why I was late."_

" _You told me yesterday you would be late," he reminds her._

 _She offers the square of paper to him, "This is why."_

 _He slips the piece of paper from her hand. He finds a black and white image staring back at him, when he shifts his glance downward. She feels like time is moving in slow motion as his facial expression shifts, into one she doesn't recognize, and all the color drains from his face._

" _Do you need the trash can?" She questions._

" _I may need an eye exam," he admits, "What am I looking at here?"_

 _She vacates her seat, and walks around the desk, to join him on his side. She points to a blob on the paper, "One," she explains. He nods in understanding, and then tilts his head. Her finger moves to a second blob on the paper, "Two."_

 _He casts his gaze on her face. He exhales, feeling his pulse quickening. Suddenly the collar of his shirt begins to feel abnormally tight. He breaks the silence, "Scully, are there supposed to be two blobs?"_

" _There certainly can be," she replies._

" _What does it mean?"_

" _There are two of them."_

 _He nods, "Scully, do you want to go to Las Vegas?"_

 _She furrows her brow, "Why?"_

" _There is a case of Las Vegas showgirls disappearing from their places of employment, only reappear in the Nevada desert with no memory of how they got there."_


	5. Jackpot

" _Are you considering that they have been abducted by aliens?"_

" _Information is consistent with that."_

* * *

Scully shakes her head, and turns towards the man lying in the bed next to her.

"How does that relate to our wedding?"

He just smiles, as the first page of the album only shows a couple of people in street clothes standing in front of Caesar's Palace. Scully breaks eye contact while she waits for an answer. She lies in the bed with her legs stretched out in front of her, with her upper body leaning against the headboard. She feels her attention being shifted to the warm being, resting on her lap. Cami has turned around, and fallen asleep, with her head pressed against Scully's chest. Dana realizes that her hand rests on the toddler's back. For a moment, as she stares at the face of a sleeping toddler she doesn't care about the reality that has suddenly, and abruptly been changed into something that she doesn't recognize.

* * *

 _August 2_ _nd_ _, 1998_

 _She is in a Las Vegas hotel room, lying on the bed on top of the sheets. She lies across the bed diagonally in a supine position, staring up at her ceiling with nothing more than a bathrobe on. Her attempt to relax is abruptly derailed by the sound of someone knocking on her door. She groans, and shifts into a sitting position. She looks at the door, and realizes that in her haste, and frustration, that she hasn't even bothered to lock it._

" _Come in, Mulder."_

" _I don't have a key card," he reminds her._

 _She rolls her eyes, and reluctantly evacuates her seat on the bed. She pulls the door open, and allows him to enter the door. The door closes behind him, and she stands in front of him, wearing a robe, with her arms folded across her chest._

" _Mulder, can't I just get a good night's rest before we fly home in the morning?"_

" _I just want five minutes of your time," insists._

 _She taps her foot on the floor. "Five minutes? Are you kidding me Mulder? You drug me more than half-way across the country to investigate disappearing show-girls, who you thought were being abducted by aliens. It turns out after a treacherous flight, in which I spent the entirety of puking my guts up, and countless hours in the desert, that this case was merely a poor attempt by a deranged psychopath to get these women to change their career choice. I am tired, and grouchy, so make it quick."_

 _He reaches into the plastic bag in his hand, and pulls out a bottle. "I brought something for your sunburn," he extends an olive branch as he offers her a bottle of aloe._

 _She takes the aloe from him, "Thank you. Is that all?"_

" _No," he shakes his head, pulling a chair out._

 _She glances at the table, and decides to take a seat across from him at the tiny table._

" _Can we talk?" He implores._

" _I am not in the mood to talk, but I will listen," she insists._

" _I believe that you have made a decision to embark on a certain path."_

" _I have," she nods in confirmation._

" _I fully support that decision," he tells her._

" _Mulder, I don't need your support. I don't need your permission, or your endorsement to do this. I can do this on my own."_

" _You did not create this situation for yourself."_

" _You were there," she recalls._

" _Can we be honest, for a minute? I am hoping for some candor. I want to avoid being cryptic."_

" _By all means," she agrees._

" _I think that we can both admit while we don't agree on everything, there is something more between us than what is portrayed on a professional level. I don't think that you would have ever agreed to go out with me, if you didn't feel that was true. Dana, I want more in this life than to just chase monsters in the dark with you. This was certainly not planned. I don't think that either one of us anticipated this happening, but do you think that it could be a sign."_

" _What kind of sign?"_

" _A sign that maybe we are meant for more," he answers._

 _She locks eyes with him, and exhales, "Do you want more?"_

" _I am telling you that I am all in."_

 _She furrows her brow, "But what does that mean to you?"_

" _Whatever you want it to mean. I want to make it clear, that no matter what happens between us, I am not going anywhere. I intend to be fully involved, and present as a parent."_

" _What do you want to happen between us?"_

" _We are a good pair. We are an excellent team. I would love if our relationship consistently extended beyond our professional interactions."_

 _She grins, "This was not a professional interaction. Mulder what were you hoping that I would say?"_

" _I guess in addition to all of my other deep rooted issues I am a romantic."_

" _You?!" She cocks an eyebrow._

" _I believe in things that are highly improbable. The truth is, I believe that we could work this out if we wanted to. I believe in that. I think I foolishly thought that if I came in here and plead my case I could convince you of that."_

" _To what end?"_

 _He shrugs, "I don't know. We are in Las Vegas, we might as well take advantage of that. We could just get married, and never look back."_

" _I would probably have to have a lot of alcohol to be convinced of that."_

" _No alcohol," he frowns._

 _She grins, "I want to believe, too."_

" _Is that a yes?"_

" _You never asked a question."_

 _He pulls a ring pop out his bag, and drops to his knee, "Would you marry me?"_

 _She laughs hysterically. When she is able to regain her composure she responds. "Do you know how ridiculous you look right now?"_

" _Isn't that what love is?"_

 _Her facial expression changes when she hears that word. "Mulder, I am a woman of science. I will make you a deal. I will get dressed, after slathering myself from head to toe with aloe, and go down to the casino with you. I have a ten dollar bill. You take the ten dollars, and spend it on the slots. If you win one of the jackpots, I will marry you."_

" _You are gambling your entire future on a game of odds?"_

 _She smiles widely, "That is all that life is."_

 _An hour later she sits next to him as he puts the last dollar into the slot. She stares at a machine with a ten thousand dollar jackpot. He looks over at her, and his palms are sweaty. He briefly looks to the heavens, and silently says a prayer. He pulls the lever, and suddenly his overcome by bells and whistles. He looks at his machine, and then at his partner. As casino officials approach them, he notices all the color has drained from her face. His lips creep into a grin._

" _Are you going to keep up your end of the bargain? Scully are you going to marry me? I just won the jackpot."_


	6. Wild Card

She stares at him with a look of total disbelief. She shakes her head.

"That did not happen. I would never make a bet like that."

He turns the page, and points to a picture. She stares at a picture of herself, standing beside him, in a Las Vegas casino holding up a ten thousand dollar check. He turns to the next page, and they are outside a wedding chapel. She wears a simple white dress, and her face, and body is bright red from her sunburn. He stands beside her in a suit, and tie.

"Scully, you played the odds, and you lost."

She glances at the toddler snuggled up in her arms, and she shakes her head, "No, I didn't."

"The rest is history. When we returned to D.C. we moved in together, and we went to separate departments. Eventually you left the FBI, and started at the hospital. We had the twins, and we moved in here."

"William," she says just above a whisper.

"One night after the twins had been weaned, and were sleeping through the night, you briefly mentioned the thought of having another child. I told you that it wouldn't hurt to try. About nine months after that night William was born," he removes a picture frame from his bedside stand. He hands it to her. She stares at the face of her son, and a sense of peace washes over her.

"Of course your mother was not thrilled when we came home from Las Vegas, and she found out we eloped."

"I am surprised that she is speaking to us now."

"The conversation didn't end there," he admits.

* * *

 _Thanksgiving, 1998—_

 _She wears an oversized sweater, as she enters her mother's kitchen with her former partner, and current husband. Her mother closes the oven, and turns towards them._

 _"The two of you are here early. Dinner isn't done yet."_

 _"Mom, there is something I wanted to talk to you about."_

 _"Is something wrong?"_

 _"No," Dana insists._

 _"You look nervous."_

 _"I don't know how to tell you this," she begins._

 _Margaret shifts her glance to Mulder, "Just tell me."_

 _He nods in agreement, "Misses Scully, your daughter and I recently got married," he rips the band-aid off._

 _"How recently?" She cocks an eyebrow._

 _"August," Dana admits._

 _"Why are you just now telling me?" She chides her daughter._

 _"We eloped, and I didn't think that you would be very approving."_

 _Margaret shakes her head, and taps Mulder's cheek, "What took you so long? I always thought you would marry her."_

 _"Sorry, ma'am," he apologizes._

 _"Dana, you are both adults, so if you want to get married that is up to you."_

 _"You aren't upset that I didn't get married in the church?"_

 _"Your brother had a huge church wedding, and to be honest it was a waste of money. Marriage should be about marriage, not the wedding."_

 _"Mulder," Dana turns towards him, "I think my mother has been abducted by aliens."_

 _"So what made the two of you finally come to your senses? I mean what made you come to this decision all of a sudden?"_

 _They exchange looks, and fall eerily silent. Margaret studies their facial expressions, and body language. She notices Fox's eyes briefly glance at Scully's midsection. Scully breaks the silence, as the guilt washes all over her._

 _"Mom, I'm pregnant. We had a shotgun wedding," Scully's cheeks turn red in embarrassment._

 _"When did you find this out?"_

 _"A while ago," Dana admits._

 _"They will be here before we know it," Mulder admits._

 _"They?" Margaret arches her eyebrow._

 _"We are having twins."_

 _"I didn't think that you were able to have children," Margaret points out._

 _"Apparently the doctors were wrong."_

* * *

His eyes fall upon her face. She sits in their bed, next to him. She holds their toddler in her arms. He doesn't wonder, for a second how their lives would be different if they had made different choices. He feels content with his loud, messy, chaotic family, with her.

"You are probably wondering how we ended up having three teenagers, and a toddler."

"The thought may have crossed my mind," she admits.

"I won't tell you that we are flawless. Marriage is a lot of hard work, and we have had rough times. Several years ago I briefly flirted with the idea of returning to the X-files. I consulted on some spooky cases, and there was a lot of travel involved. It put a lot of strain on us. You work long hours, and it was hard for you to juggle three kids with me gone. I was being selfish, and I know that now, but I didn't realize it then. You got fed up, and told me that if you had to raise them alone, that I could pack my things. The twins were about to start middle school, and their hormones were starting to kick in. It was a tough year. I moved out for about a month, and I was miserable. I want to be here with you, and with them. One night after I dropped them off, I begged you to talk to me. Once they were in bed, you heard me out. You agreed that you wanted to make things work."

"We thought a baby would fix what was broken?"

He shakes his head, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder. I moved back in, and we spent a lot of time together rekindling our relationship. We made it a priority. We both cut back hours at work, and spent time with the kids, and with each other. We had agreed years ago that we were content with the three perfect kids that we had."

"What changed?"

"We got a big surprise. Cami was a rather unexpected surprise. So now we have four perfect kids, but she is definitely the wild card."

"She must take after you."

"I wish that you could have seen your face the day that we found out."


	7. 15 O'clock

_September 3_ _rd_ _, 2012_

 _He is in the kitchen cleaning dinner dishes, when the phone rings. He dries his hands off, since his wife is outside playing with the kids. He grabs the cordless off the wall, and presses the talk button. He puts the phone to his ear._

 _"This is Dr. Henderson calling to speak with Dana Scully," he reveals._

 _"This is her husband, Fox. She isn't available right now, can I take a message?"_

 _"Sure."_

 _"I thought her appointment was routine. Is everything okay?"_

 _"Everything is fine. There were some lab values that were abnormal. I would like to see her in my office next Monday. I have a four thirty available."_

 _"I am certain that we can make that work, but I'm not sure what is going on."_

 _"I also wanted to let her know that I called in a prescription to her pharmacy."_

 _"What kind of prescription? I thought that she just had routine lab work done. Does she have an infection, or something?"_

 _"Or something," he chuckles._

 _"Is it serious?"_

 _"It has a pretty well defined incubation period," he admits._

 _"I have no idea what you're talking about."_

 _"I called in a prescription for prenatal vitamins."_

 _Mulder furrows his brow, "For what?"_

 _"Your wife is pregnant."_

 _"Excuse me?"_

 _"She's pregnant."_

 _"You're sure?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _"I've got to go."_

 _"I'll talk to you later," he hangs up._

 _Mulder leaves the half washed dishes in the sink, and places the phone on the counter. He treks through the dining room, and pulls open the sliding glass door. He finds his wife playing goalie in the backyard._

 _"Will take over for you mom," he hollers._

 _She looks up at him, "We're in the middle of a game."_

 _"Dana, I need to talk to you, inside," he admits._

 _She nods, and heads into the house. She is wearing her sneakers, but hasn't had a chance to change out of her scrubs. She kicks off her shoes, and pulls the door closed. He points to a seat at the recently cleared table._

 _"Have a seat."_

 _She pulls out a chair, and complies with his request. He takes a seat at the head of the table._

 _"I just got a phone call from your doctor," he tells her._

 _"Why?"_

 _"He wants you to follow up next Monday."_

 _"Why did you have to bring me into the house to tell me that?"_

 _"He also called in a prescription for you."_

 _"A prescription?_ _Mulder, what the hell are you talking about?"_

 _"Dana, you're pregnant."_

 _She shakes her head, and stares at her husband in disbelief, "No, I'm not."_

 _"The doctor just called to inform you."_

 _She furrows her brow, "We have three kids who are now capable of their own bodily functions, backpacks, and bedtime routines. They are responsible, and can be left at home alone for a few hours at a time. They are more than half-way raised," she groans._

 _"None of that changes the fact that you have a bun in your oven," he argues._

* * *

Scully stares at the face of a sleeping toddler. Cami's ear is pressed up against Scully's chest wall. She runs her fingers through her thick hair, and plants a kiss on her forehead.

"The boys will be home soon," he tells her.

"I should get up."

"I can take her," he offers.

She nods in agreement as he takes the toddler from her. She watches him leave the room. She tosses the covers aside, and crawls out of the bed. She stands in front of the dresser for several moments just staring at the pictures on top of it. Eventually she pulls open a drawer, and finds undergarments. She collects undergarments, and heads towards the far wall of the room. She finds two closed doors. She grasps the knob of the door on her left, and pulls it open. A light comes on, and reveals a closet full of clothes. She quickly picks out something casual, and heads to the second doorway. She quickly showers, dresses, and dries her hair. She finishes her morning routine by brushing her teeth. She makes a beeline down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs she is near the dining room. She hears the sound of a TV coming from her left. She follows the sound of laughter into the living room. She finds Mulder sitting on the couch, with a toddler lying next to him, and a teenaged girl sitting on his other side. Maggie scoots over, and points to the spot on the couch next to her.

"There is room for you, too."

She situates herself between Maggie, and Mulder. Before she can protest Cami has crawled onto her lap. She turns to face Scully. She looks up at her, and places her palms on Scully's cheeks.

"Mommy?"

"Hm?"

"I have an important message."

"Please do tell," Mulder encourages her.

"Grandma called, and said that she is coming over," Cami tells her.

Maggie, and Dana look around the room at the same time. There are toys strewn from one end of the room to the other. Mulder interjects.

"Cami, when did you talk to grandma?"

"Last night," she reveals.

"What did I tell you about answering the phone?" Mulder queries.

"Don't answer the phone, because it might be a telemarketer, or a stranger."

"Or?"

"It could be worse, it might be the FBI," Cami giggles.

"Thank you special agent Cami," Mulder grins.

Cami stares up at Dana with big slate blue eyes. The toddler's lips curl into a smile, "At your service, ma'am!"

"Cami did grandma say what time she would be coming?" Maggie inquires.

"15 o'clock," Cami smiles.

"Fifteen hundred?" Maggie corrects.

Cami shrugs, "After breakfast, but before dinner, when my brothers get home from basketball."

Mulder rolls his eyes, "Fifteen o'clock it is. You have until fifteen o'clock to pick up your toys, ma'am."

"Daddy," she shakes her head, "Fifteen o'clock isn't a real time."


	8. One Life

They are sitting on the couch when the door opens. Two teenage boys enter the house, and drop their bags on the floor. They enter the living room, and stare at the rest of their family. The tallest one speaks up.

"I found this lady outside, I think she might be lost," Ethan informs them.

William steps aside, and Margaret steps forward. Cami springs from the couch, and attaches herself to Margaret's side.

"That was mean," she growls at her brother.

"Mom, how are you feeling?" William questions.

"I have a little bit of a headache, but I'm okay," she admits.

"We would love to stay, and chat, but we smell like a pair of stinky gym socks, so we are going to go locate a couple of showers," Ethan informs them.

"Please do," Mulder agrees.

Margaret moves towards the couch with Cami on her heels. Dana vacates her seat, and wraps her arms around her mother. Their embrace lasts awkwardly long. Eventually Dana lets go.

"I missed you," Dana admits.

Margaret furrows her brow, "Dana, I was just here last night."

Mulder speaks up, "I guess that her fender bender made her memory a little bit fuzzy."

"How is the car?" Margaret questions.

"It was just a scratch," Maggie reveals, "You can hardly even tell that some moron hit us head on when we left the basketball game last night."

"Did the airbags deploy?"

"Maggie's got a boo boo on her arm," Cami reveals.

"It is just a little contact burn from the side airbag. It's fine. I have been applying ointment."

"What about you, miss Camille?"

"I'm fine. I was asleep," she admits.

"Dana, what about you?"

"I have a little bit of a headache, and my memory is a little fuzzy."

"I am sure she will make a full recovery."

"Dad can I take the car?"

He nods, "I think that should be fine, but can you be home by lunch time?"

"Okay," she agrees.

That night as they clear the dinner plates Mulder notices the look on Scully's face. She carries dishes into the kitchen. Maggie stands at the counter loading the dishwasher. Ethan sweeps up the floor around the table as William wipes the table off. Cami puts leftovers into the fridge.

"Kids your mom and I can get it from here, why don't the four of you go find a movie to watch?"

"We're almost done," Ethan insists.

Scully looks up at the lanky young man with sandy colored hair, and big hazel eyes. Maggie speaks up, "They want to have an adult conversation that does not require our presence, genius," she tosses a dish towel at him.

"Then let's go, before they change their minds," William suggests.

Cami grins, "My work here is done."

The four children race out of the room as quickly as possible. Dana finishes loading the dishwasher, and Fox joins her in the kitchen. He faces her as she closes the dishwasher.

"You don't remember any of it, do you?"

She shakes her head, "No."

"Why don't you go in and see your doctor on Monday morning. This seems like more than a concussion."

She nods in agreement, "It seems like an alternate reality."

He furrows his brow, "Are you telling me that you remember the past, but it doesn't match up to this?"

"I don't know what is going on, but something is wrong."

"Scully we have fought hard to make this a reality. We have had hard times. I think that there was an entire year you didn't talk to me. It hasn't been easy, but it has been worth it."

"You have to understand, this morning I woke up, and I found out that I have four children that I don't recognize."

"You don't remember any of them?"

"William," she answers.

"Our quiet one?"

"I can't explain it. What I remember is completely different than this. In my memories we aren't married, and never have been."

"What is the status of our relationship?"

"Complicated, as per usual."

"What does that mean?"

"We would go to the ends of the earth for each other, but we don't apply any titles."

"What can I do to make you feel better?"

"I think I just need some fresh air," she answers.

"Okay," he nods in agreement.

She heads outside. As she heads into the driveway she realizes that it is the first time that she has seen the outside of the house. She looks out past the driveway, and sees other houses in the neighborhood. There is a sidewalk at the end of the drive, and she steps onto it. She follows it to a playground situated on a corner lot. She sees someone sitting on a bench. It is dark, and she can't make out their face. She sees a cloud of smoke, and smells tobacco as she approaches. She stops in front of the bench, and stares at the figure in disbelief. He pats the seat next to him.

"Have a seat," he instructs her.

She folds her arms across her chest, and shakes her head, "I'll stand."

"You are probably wondering what I am doing here," he points out.

"You seem to follow us wherever we go, no matter what reality I am in."

"In this reality I am not the villain. In this reality I am just an estranged father who smokes too much, and never gets to see his grandchildren."

"You are behind this," she realizes.

"I am a very powerful man, Scully."

"This is not my life," she points out.

"It is not the one that you remember," he argues.

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"I want to show you what you can have."

"So you can suck it all away, and when I wake up it will all have been a dream?"

"No. I am cruel, but not that cruel. I am giving you the option. You can go back, and continue pulling at threads, and exposing the conspiracy."

"Or?"

"You can stay here. You can keep this life. You can live this life. Your memories of this life will return, and the other memories will slowly fade away. Here you are married, and you have four beautiful children. You can keep that, or you can go back. You can go back to a world where everything is about to change, and you are searching for your son in order to save Mulder. It is up to you."

"This cannot be happening."

"It can, if you want it to."

"Even if it were truly happening, do you really expect me to decide in this instant?"

"No. I am somewhat reasonable in this reality. I will give you twenty four hours. I must warn you, once you decide you can't change your mind. Your decision will be final."


	9. Another World

She hears someone calling out for her, and she wonders if this is where she wakes up from her dream. She turns towards the voice, and finds a shadowy figure moving towards her. She turns and finds the seat on the bench, next to her is empty.

"Mom?"

She looks up and finds a teenage girl standing at the end of the bench. Her frown turns into a smirk.

"Maggie," she allows the name to fall from her lips.

Maggie fills the vacant space next to her. Dana turns towards her unsure of what to say.

"Mom are you okay?"

"Not entirely," she admits.

"You're still not feeling like yourself, are you?"

"No."

"For some reason this morning when I woke up I kept thinking about something you told me," she begins.

"What's that?"

"You said that sometimes the truth is just a more satisfactory illusion than the world we are facing."

Scully furrows her brow, "When did I tell you that?"

"When I was about five, and I realized I couldn't actually be a mermaid."

She can't help but smile, "Did you have any idea what I meant?"

She shakes her head, "Not a clue, but you told me the same thing when I didn't make the volleyball team when I was twelve, and then I understood."

"Why did I say that?"

"Because somewhere out there, maybe in another world I am a tall volleyball playing mermaid," Maggie grins.

"That seems reasonable," her grin doesn't fade.

"What's bothering you?" Maggie probes.

"None of this seems real."

"Because we are all so great? It is only because dad threatened to take away the boys gaming system if they misbehaved while you weren't feeling well."

Dana shakes her head, "It just seems as if I woke up somewhere else."

"In someone else's life?"

Dana nods, "Exactly."

"I think that every single day when I have to ride to school with two brothers who fart and burp the entire way."

"They never grow out of that," she warns.

"You seem so far away today," Maggie points out.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she reassures her.

"How was your day?"

"Fine. When we were at the mall we walked past that one store."

Scully furrows her brow, "What one store?"

"The one that always earns me a lecture," she answers.

"I…"

"Foggy memory," Maggie recalls, "Let me refresh you. When I was in preschool we went to go school clothes shopping, and you turned around for a second to show Ethan something, and I let go of your hand. I walked away. You found me half an hour later in a clothes rack after frantically searching the whole store. I told you that I didn't think you would find me. I was mad, because for some petty reason, so I hid. You told me that it didn't matter where in the entire universe that I was that you could find me."

"I suppose that is probably true."

"All of this is weird," Maggie reveals.

"What makes you say that?"

"A few weeks ago you told me to hold onto something for you. You said that if anything out of the ordinary happened to give you this."

"Give me what?"

Maggie reaches into her back pocket, and pulls out a folded piece of paper. She hands the piece of paper to Dana. Dana unfolds the piece of paper, and finds her own handwriting. She reads the address, but doesn't recognize it.

"I don't know where this is. It could be anywhere, "she points out since it is only a street address.

Maggie pulls an ink pen out of her pocket, and writes on the piece of paper. She adds a city, and state to the mix.

"How do you know?"

"You told me."

"I don't understand what is going on here," she admits.

"I think that it is time to go home," Maggie answers.

Dana vacates her seat, and slips the piece of paper into her pocket. She follows Maggie down the street to their house. Even as she steps inside, she feels like a stranger. That night after taking a quick bath she heads down the hall, and kisses each of her children. She heads into the master bedroom, and finds her husband sitting on the bed. She takes a seat next to him.

"Scully?"

"Hm?" She answers feeling exhausted, and confused.

"Sometimes I miss it, you know?"

"Miss what?" She wonders as she pulls her legs over the side of the bed.

"Searching for monsters in the dark at the end of a flashlight, next to you," He answers.

"Fox, we just did that fifteen minutes ago," she reminds him.

"The monsters under Cami's bed aren't real."

"Are any of them?" She responds.

He shrugs, "That is the excitement of it, for me. I never could understand what made you follow my sorry ass, and trudge through the woods, or an abandoned building in the middle of the night."

"I wasn't looking for monsters," she answers.

"What were you looking for?"

She pauses, and carefully contemplates her answer. He wraps his arm around her, she allows her head to rest against him.

"I think I was just waiting," she admits.

He furrows his brow, "Waiting? For what?"

"For the lights to come on, and for you to see that I was right there the whole time."

He grins, "You were just waiting on me to see you? I saw you a long time ago, Dana. The first time that you were behind the dim glow of a low quality flashlight, I thought, "That is the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with". I would think that after all of this time you would know that."

"We spend a lot of time chasing the truth."

"The truth is out there," He smiles, widely.

"Why aren't we out there chasing it?"

"You tell me," he quips.

As she lies there in his embrace she realizes that she can't come up with an explanation. Is there a reason that they can't have a family, and pursue the truth?


End file.
